Chapter Text
“Hey, Izu-kun?”
“Oh hey!” Izuku said brightly; he was scrolling through the news. “Did you see that fight this morning? Wasn’t it amazing!? Mt. Lady is really coming up in the pros, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool.” you agreed. “Izu-kun, I want to ask you something.”
Izuku gave you his full attention. “What is it?”
You paused for a moment, wanting to phrase your question in a hopefully non offensive way.
“Why...do you want to be a pro hero so badly? Why do you want to go to Yuuei, even knowing you don’t have a Quirk? Even if they took you in, you could really get hurt.”
“Um, well, I’ve always wanted to be a pro hero.” Izuku answered quietly; there was a faint bashful smile on his face, like he felt a bit ashamed to even admit so out loud.
Not that you could blame him; the whole class just got done having a good laugh at his expense. You, of course, said nothing. Again.
“Being a hero, it’s my dream. Don’t you want to be one?”
“Me? I could never. My Quirk is pretty useless in combat situations.”
“But being able to change the length of your hair means you could use it in an infiltration mission!”
“What?”
"That's just for starters!" Izuku continued enthusiastically. “You could use it to help disguise yourself!”
“I guess, but it’s still pretty limiting.” you laughed softly. “You really do want to be a hero, huh?”
"Uh, yeah." Izuku's cheeks went a bit red. “I guess you think I'm being pretty stupid. I can see why; you've always seem so grounded and I know it sounds crazy-”
“That's not it!" you stutter slightly. "I just don’t want you to get hurt."
"Oh."
"It's just I," you chewed on your bottom lip. "Anyway, you’re my friend, so...I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you.”
"Wow, thanks!" Izuku looked pleasantly surprised. "Thanks a lot! I-I'll remember that when I'm applying."
In spite of your stumbling, this conversation was going better than expected. Izuku had gone from looking utterly defeated to beaming. If you had known it would be this easy, you might have approached him sooner.
"No. I couldn't. I know that much."
Then again, maybe this was it: the chance you had been waiting for. Class was over and you fit relatively calm and fit to speak. Presently, the only people around were Izuku and yourself.
“Izu-kun?"
"Huh?"
"I, I never, I know we don't talk much, but you've always," you clear your throat. "Listen, I don’t care whether you have a Quirk or not. I think you're, you're still-"
"What's that?"
A loud chiming interrupted your spiel, nearly making you practically jump out of your shoes; you forgot to turn your phone off during class. Izuku was staring at your curiously.
"Is everything okay?"
“Uh, hold on, I just gotta take this.”
You smiled apologetically to avoid outright screaming in frustration; instead, you made your way to the girl’s bathroom, passing by Katsuki and a few other classmates standing near the door.
“Hey Katsu.” you gestured to your phone, honestly feeling glad for an excuse not to stop and chat. Katsuki just grunted as you passed; he seemed irked, so in other words, perfectly normal.
In the bathroom you finished your call, dabbing your face with a wet napkin. After checking your hair, you walked back to the classroom with butterflies in your stomach; the swarm of butterflies faded as you stopped short of turning the corner. You could hear Katsuki’s voice cutting through the air maliciously.
“Is he picking on Izuku again? Wasn’t what he did enough?” you shook your head in disgust and disbelief at the last comment. “He said it like it was nothing!”
“Hey, what’s up with you?” Katsuki and a few other boys turned the corner; he apparently didn't realize you were still in the school. “The hell’s up with that look? You get your period or something?”
“Shut up you jerk!”
Katsuki’s cronies stepped back slightly.
“Uh...we gotta use the bathroom!”
“Yeah, yeah! We’ll just let you two talk.”
Katsuki rolled his eyes as the other boys practically ran away.
“Cowards, running away just ‘cause they’re afraid to get lectured.”
It wasn't the first time you had taken it upon yourself to nag at him about one thing or the other; hell would freeze over before you refrained from giving him a piece of your mind, but Katsuki was used to it. He was glad to return the favor.
"How could you?"
You were crying. Katsuki’s exceptional anger all but vanished; you almost looked hurt, as if it was you he had been threatening.
“Why the hell are you crying?!”
“How could you?” you repeated softly. “How could you be so mean?”
“Huh? Hey, that damn nerd needs to learn now how the world works; it’s not my fault he can’t get it through his thick head he can’t be a hero.” Katsuki snorted with an audacious grin. “Come on, stop blubbering. We’re gonna go to the arcade today, I’ll even treat you-”
“Don’t do me any favors.” you spat. “I don’t want to go anywhere with you; I’ve had enough. We’re done.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"
“You heard me.”
Katsuki frowned in confusion, his breakfast flipping around inside his gut; you looked so sad. You were never sad when you were with him. You were his biggest fan and here you were crying over Deku, telling him to buzz off.
“You know, I thought deep down under it all you weren’t a bad person. I thought you would grow up and be a hero, maybe actually be a little nicer now and then.” you shook your head. “Izu-kun’s the one who deserves the recognition. He actually cares about other people and he's never given up!”
"Deku is a loser. He's a weakling, always has been. He couldn't even make a decent pencil pusher sidekick! He doesn't even have a Quirk."
“He’s still better than you’ll ever be.”
“You'r just as crazy as him: Deku could never be a hero.” Katsuki argued. “He’ll never get into Yuuei, he’ll never be a pro, and he’ll never be better than me!”
"The bar isn't set that high then." you snorted, turning your back on him once more. “Keep telling yourself whatever you need to hear. I won't be anymore.”
Before you could move more than a few steps down the hall, Katsuki grabbed onto your wrist.
"Hey!"
“You can't be serious."
"Katsu, let go."
"What's the matter with you?" Katsuki's held on tight; his expression was incredulous. “Don’t tell me you actually like that, that-?”
"Watch it!" you managed to jerk your arm away. “You’re going to burn me!”
“We’re not done here!” Katsuki shot back. “You just stay away from him.”
“What? Who the hell do you think you are? You can't tell me what to do!"
You were looking at him like he was an insect, like he was the bad guy in all of this.
“Why? Why do you always have to stick up for Deku? You were supposed to back me up."
You weren’t supposed to look at anyone else like you admired them, like they were something special. Katsuki had been too lenient. Every year was worse than before, more back talking, more arguments. You never brought up Deku around him, but Katsuki noticed the way you went oddly quiet whenever Deku was being teased or when you tensed just at the mention of his name. Something had been off and Katsuki figured it really wasn't anything. He thought he didn't have anything to worry about.
"You don't know what you're talking about."
"No, you don't." you insisted. "I can hang out with whoever I want."
Katsuki growled under his breath; his chest hurt but he shoved it down. He needed to stay in control. The last thing he wanted to do was actually hurt you.
“Just stay away from Deku.” Katsuki looked into your eyes resolutely. “He doesn’t deserve you.”
"Deserve me? Now who sounds nuts?" you gaped. "I can't believe this."
“Deku doesn’t deserve you.” Katsuki was shaking in anger. "I,"
"Katsu,"
“But I do.”
The tense silence that followed put Katsuki on edge more than anything you had done or said up to this point. You weren't crying or glaring at him anymore, but you didn't look particularly pleased. The expression on your face was almost blank, as if you hadn't heard him at all.
“Well? Say something dammit!”
“Do you even know what you’re saying?”
“Of course I know, do I look stupid?!” Katsuki retorted impatiently, using bluster to cover up his uncertainty. “I hate it. I hate that you tell me to lay off, like you’re in charge of me or something! I hate when you look at him like he shits diamonds or something! It’s not right, you’re not supposed to look at him like that!”
“Katsu, wait a minute-"
“I don’t fucking like it and I swear, if I catch you looking at him like that again, I’ll blow that Quirkless good for nothing to bits." Katsuki said lowly. "He'll be char and ashes when I'm through."
“And you have the nerve to call yourself a hero?” you laughed hollowly. “Just stay away from me or I’ll report you. Then we’ll see how good your chances are of getting into Yuuei.”
As you ran off, Katsuki could only stand, his feet like lead; he was so angry, but he wasn’t about to chase after you. No matter how much you lashed out, he couldn’t bring himself to go so far as to hurt you intentionally. He never wanted to hurt you.
“She hates me.”
This wasn’t part of the plan. You were supposed to look up to him, listen and admire him and him alone. Hadn't it always been that way? Katsuki would go to Yuuei and graduate, become the top pro, and be the hero you saw in him. Deku was nothing.
"Shit. Damn it all. You’re dead meat, you pathetic wannabe.”
Katsuki shot a small explosion into the lockers, arm trembling from having contained himself for so long. He didn’t know he had that kind of restraint, but now he couldn’t hold it in.
“I’ll make you wish you had jumped off the roof.”